The Patriot Film Analysis
Directed by Roland Emmerlich and starring Mel Gibson, the 2000 film The Patriot captures common American sentiments about the 1776 War of Independence. Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a hero from the French and Indian wars, a widower and father of seven children. The Martins live a relatively humble life on a plantation in South Carolina; since his fighting days are over and his wife passed away, Benjamin has become the ultimate family man. He has safely stored away his weapons and spends his leisure time making furniture. However, a revolution is brewing in the colonies and his sons, especially Gabriel the eldest, are feeling the war fever. At seventeen years old, Gabriel's friends are ...
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At this early point in the plot, an obvious Eurocentric historical perspective emerges. The budding Revolution is portrayed as a valiant grassroots attempt to overthrow an oppressive British crown and gain political autonomy for the colonies. Although they will be fighting their brethren, the Continentals are the brave warriors who will usher in a new era for European civilization. Several elements in the film, some subtle and some overt, convey its Eurocentric attitude. The treatment of Blacks and Indians in the film is one of the key elements that inform the film's historic perspective; so is the portrayal of the Revolution as noble, inspired, and righteous cause, a natural evolutionary leap for Continental supremacy.
In spite of Benjamin's initial reluctance to take up arms, he spent a significant portion of his life battling the Indians and French. In fact, the Fort Wilderness story is one of the main Eurocentric elements in The Patriot. The filmmaker builds up the Fort ...
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while his sons look on terrified. This hints at what occurred at Fort Wilderness. Later, Benjamin tells Gabriel that they chopped the Indians to bits and mailed their fingers and tongues: the Indians, not the French. For while they were also fighting the French army, the Indians are the ones being portrayed as being savage and brutal, worthy of being chopped to bits. Notably, no Native Americans appear on the scene in the entire film: their culture and people are suitably ignored, removed from the lesson plan of history. Deliberately removing them from the screen solidifies the Euro-centric stance of the film. The British victory during the wars is over the Native Americans; the ...
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"The Patriot Film Analysis." Essayworld.com. January 28, 2016. Accessed May 28, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Patriot-Film-Analysis/105395.
"The Patriot Film Analysis." Essayworld.com. January 28, 2016. Accessed May 28, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Patriot-Film-Analysis/105395.
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